Odd Elements
by Mitsuko-chan
Summary: AU An abused and abandoned Yuugi wishes for friends only to find himself in the land of the Elementals with no memory of his past...
1. Prologue

A/N- Hey, minna! I know I haven't updated my other story in forever and so there is no reason for me to start a new story with only one exception to this story...It has a PLOT! Unfortunately the other one doesn't and I don't know how far it is going to go. Luckily I have this one all worked out to hopefully appease your thirst for reading...

Well, just check it out and I'll (somehow) try to work up another chapter for Yami mata Hikari no Tenshis...don't expect much...I did plan on just stopping it right where it was, but then I went and read your reviews and knew that I had to keep trying...Well, I hope you like this new story as much as my other one and I will try to come to some kind of comprimise with my uncooperative muse.

* * *

PROLOGUE

* * *

RIIIIIIIIIIING!  
  
A small, pale, skinned boy with tri-colored hair, sighed as once again school ended and his torment was to begin again, just as it had been, day after day. It had been that way ever since he had come to this school.  
  
Domino High School.  
  
His name was Yuugi. He had no friends, no one to stick up for him, and what hurt most...no family. No one cared about him. He gathered his heavy schoolbooks into his small arms and went to put them in his locker.  
  
Upon nearing it, he saw that some of his tormentors, the less violent ones, were standing there already waiting on him. He hung his head in defeat and continued on with the routine. He walked slowly towards them...closer...closer...until he was right there.  
  
They mocked him and teased him as they always did, before knocking his books out of his hands, before walking away. He sighed once more and proceeded to pick up his books.  
  
He put them inside of his locker, shouldered his book bag, and walked down the hallways to the back doorways, and outside. He set off in the direction of the orphanage.  
  
He walked for a good ten minutes before approaching an alleyway. As he came past the entrance of it he stopped. He knew they were waiting for him and it was better if he did not run or put up a struggle.  
  
Finally, out they came. A group of the worst bullies in the area. They were violent and ruthless in their "work" and it was just Yuugi's continual bad luck that they found him in the first place. Like the other bullies that knocked his books out of his hands, this too had become a routine.  
  
"Hey, runt! You're late again! What did I tell you? Didn't I say that if you were late again we were going to have to punish you?"  
  
'As if they didn't already,' the small boy thought bitterly. He nodded his head, not even bothering with an explanation. If only those one boys would not hold him up by his locker he could make it in time and his beatings would not be so bad. 'But of course that would be too easy,' he thought again.  
  
The leader of the gang let out a snort of laughter and smirked.  
  
"Well, why don't you just step into our little alleyway here and join the party?"  
  
Yuugi hung his head once again as the bullies parted to allow him to enter first. He walked in and dropped his backpack so that none of his school stuff except his clothes would be messed up.  
  
The bullies soon followed and the thrashing was allowed to commence. The leader took the first hit, with a punch to the cheek sending Yuugi's small frame flying into the nearby wall. He managed to stay on his feet only to be beaten down with several more punches.  
  
He was hit in the gut, which knocked the wind out of him and he doubled over, then someone else got him in the chest. He then received a kick in the face as someone else pounded his back making him fall to the ground.  
  
Once that was done the incessant kicking began. One after the other: chest, side, face, back, and head. They struck him until he had no energy left to even lift a finger or bat an eye. They beat him until the ground was coated in a red vital, life giving substance...Yuugi's blood. Finally they finished saying, "Come on, let's get out of here. There's a big mess all over the ground."  
  
Then they left him lying there on his own to try to crawl back to his home as they laughed at his predicament. Yuugi assessed the damage done and judged that by the way he felt that he had not broken anything this time, not that it made him feel any better.  
  
This was indeed one of the worst beatings he'd received in a while. He'd had worse of course, but he definitely would have trouble getting out of bed tomorrow. The bruises were already beginning to discolor his angelic features.  
  
He tried to push himself up into a sitting position. It was difficult, but he finally managed it...very slowly. He leaned against the wall for support so he could stand up and then limped over to his backpack. Somehow he was able to lift the pack and put it on his shoulders. He started home, his hand holding onto the sides of buildings to keep him upright.  
  
On the way, his mind began to wander.  
  
'Why does it always have to be me? Why does no one like me? Why can't I have just one friend? I wish I had at least one single person that cared for me! I wish I could just get away from here and go someplace where I could have a friend...'  
  
Yuugi then clenched his eyes shut as a wave of dizziness overtook him and he fought to stay upright now that his hand was no longer holding onto the side of the building, but instead clutching the straps of his book bag. A strong breeze whipped at him, chilling his very being. When the dizzy spell passed and he was able to look up again he noticed something different about his surroundings.  
  
He was no longer where he had been before, in a street with cars and people and all different kinds of stores and apartments. He was no longer even in Domino, it seemed. He was surrounded by white...snow covered the ground as far as the eye could. The wind blew the snow around and stung Yuugi's face with a biting cold. He looked all around for some kind of shelter. There was nothing but white as far as the eye could see. He pulled his thin jacket tighter around him and began walking in the direction he was already facing.  
  
The cold blew all around him freezing him into numbness. He continued to walk hoping against hope that he would be able to just stop soon and find someplace to get warm.  
  
He had now been walking so long in the cold that he could not feel any part of his body. It had also gotten colder as a blizzard started to come in, blowing the petite youth's hair all over the place. He started to stumble, just catching himself in the nick of time he continued on, knowing he would not be able to go on much longer.  
  
That is when he heard the crunch of snow behind him. He jerked around to see what was there, but the snow in the air from the blizzard prevented him from seeing more than one foot in any direction. Then that crunch turned into a sniffing sound like a predator after its prey.  
  
Yuugi began to run, to try to escape whatever it was that was behind him. It might not really be harmful to him, but he had decided that he would rather not stick around to find out first hand.  
  
The only problem was that when he started running...so did whatever was behind him. Yuugi ran faster, as fast as his short legs could take him, but unfortunately for him...it was not fast enough.  
  
Out of the blizzard came a reptile like creature with three claws for hands, sharp fanged teeth, and sharp horns all over its body. Yuugi screamed as he turned to look at it, then ran with all of his might in the opposite direction. It lunged at him, using its sharp claws to slash at his back.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Yuugi cried in pain as three bloody gashes were slit across his back, the one in the middle being the deepest since the middle claw was the longest. Yuugi involuntarily turned around and tried to put pressure on the cuts with his hand, but he could not reach.  
  
The monster pounced again, claws slashing. Three more red streaks appeared on Yuugi's chest and once again he screamed in pain, doubling over for the second time. Tears glistened in the corners of his eyes and he looked up, pleading for the creature to stop and let him go.  
  
"No, stop...please stop..." he whispered to it as a few of the tears broke free and ran down his cheeks.  
  
The fiend rewarded him by slapping him across the face with the back of its claw sending him soaring threw the air to land with a soft, "Whumph" in the snow. The slap being so powerful that he blacked out upon contact so that he lay still in the snow, scarlet blood dripping onto the fluffy whiteness of the pure snow, painting it red.  
  
The beast then walked over to the small figure, grabbed a leg and began to drag it through the snow towards its nearby cave.

* * *

In a large tent, in the frozen highlands was a boy, Yami, lying on his cot with his hands behind his head, staring up at the canvas ceiling. He had tan skin, bright crimson eyes and the most interesting of all, tri-colored hair...He had blonde bangs that stuck out at odd angles, there was also the main part of his hair that was black and was outlined in magenta.  
  
He was wearing tight black pants and a tight black turtleneck shirt. He had two studded belts slung across his slender waist. One for his pants and the second held the sheath for his sword. The one with his sword was currently lying in a corner of the tent on top of a pile of furs he had collected not to long before.  
  
There seemed to be something different about him than the people in Yuugi's world. He did not even seem to need a fire to stay warm, it was like the warmth just followed him around, keeping the inside of the entire tent warm and comfortable, or maybe it was the tent itself that was doing it.  
  
He was in the middle of contemplating his life and all the places he had visited when he heard something. He sat bolt upright as a terrible scream split the air.  
  
'Probably one of those baka monsters again,' he thought to himself about to lie back down. 'That sure didn't sound like one of them did it,' said a voice in his head. The boy thought about that. 'That's right it sounded more like a human. But who would be out here?' he wondered deciding to go see what was going on. He grabbed his coat and sword, leaving his tent the way it was. Those creatures would not come near it, he knew. They had been scared of it ever since he had killed one of them.  
  
He ran outside, sliding his sword into its sheath and heading in the direction he had heard the shriek come from. He had not ran more than a few paces before another cry rang through the air. He paused momentarily, deciding that it really was a person before running faster towards the source.  
  
He ran for a few more minutes before stopping and looking around. There was no one to be seen, but when he looked down he knew that there had been. A bright red substance coated the snow and the boy bent down to inspect it.  
  
"Blood," he said out loud to himself as if reassuring himself that that was what the liquid was. He then saw splashes of blood a few feet away. He walked over to this sample and noticed the snow underneath it had trail marks in it as though someone had been dragged through the snow.  
  
The teenager followed these track marks till he came to a large opening, a shelter from the cold. It was a cave and those marks led right into it. He crept circumspectly towards the cave entrance. He flattened himself up against the wall and carefully peered inside the cave trying not to be noticed.  
  
What he saw inside made his blood boil. It was some of those monsters that had attacked him before, Armored Lizards. They were a cross between humans, lizards, and alligators. About four or five of the creatures were clustered around a small bloody lump. It was a little kid. Yami knew he was going to have to do something about this.  
  
He unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him at ready. When he was sure they were not looking in his direction, he jumped into the middle of the cave entrance and shouted a battle cry before charging at them sword raised. They did not have any time to react, which was the way he wanted it.  
  
Yami ran right into the center of the group and stood over the young one, he slashed horizontally in a circle with his blade chopping the first Armored Lizard in half. The two pieces separated and fell to the ground where they remained unmoving. The other three managed to move out of the way in time and were undamaged.  
  
They tried slashing at him, with their claws, together, but Yami just ducked and kicked out with his legs sending two of them to the ground. The last one still standing catapulted its self at the teenager trying to bite him, but he thrust his sword up into its midsection and it stopped a few feet/meters away from him. Yami drew back his sword and the beast fell away to lie still on the floor of the cavern.  
  
The two remaining Armored Lizards had stood back up by this time and lunged together again. One came with slashing claws on the right while the other on the left. Yami jumped to the side and rolled back onto his feet in a crouch. He then ran around behind them and took his time taking them both out. Job done, Yami cleaned off his sword in the snow before sheathing it and turning back to the kid that the whole fight had been for.  
  
He walked over to where the child had been and flipped him over. As soon as Yami saw his face he gasped audibly. This boy looked almost exactly like him. His hair was black and out lined in magenta just like his. There was a difference in the blonde bangs, however. While Yami's stuck up into the spikes of his black, this boy's blonde bangs seemed to caress his alabaster cheeks and face.  
  
His face that was covered in bruises and blood. Yami looked closer at the bruises themselves. They seemed to be a few days old at least. Yami touched a particularly big one on his cheek and the boy flinched away, scooting back and his body seemed to shrink in on its self. Yami's expression, which usually only was a look of anger, contempt, or cold- heartedness, softened for once. This kid was probably an easy target for bullies to prey on.  
  
He knew right away by the blue jacket, white shirt, and blue pants that the child wore, and by the fabric they were made of, that this boy was from another world. There was no fabric such as that made here. Yami seemed drawn to this boy. Maybe it was because his appearance was so similar to his own, or maybe it was just because he looked so much like an angel.  
  
Yami picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, taking him back to his tent. Once he reached it, Yami lay the unconscious youth down in his own bed and began to tend to his wounds. He bandaged his head and then cleaned the cuts out, before he bandaged them as well.  
  
Yami winced every time he touched the boy's skin. It was freezing cold, like ice. Once he was finished, he covered his look alike with as many blankets he could find and sat down to keep watch.

* * *

After hours of watching the child and receiving no movement at all for his efforts, Yami decided to go hunting. He knew the child would be safe in his tent. All the creatures around were too afraid to go near it, so he slipped soundlessly outside and began his hunt.  
  
By the time he was finished, he had enough meat to last the two of them for a couple of days. He smiled to himself as he entered the tent and busied himself with preparing dinner, not even noticing his charge stirring.  
  
He had his back turned to the bed while he cut the meat into pieces and threw them into a pot over a fire. He was just adding some more ingredients to his stew when he heard a strangled yelp from behind him. He spun around, eyes narrowed and sword drawn, looking around for the source of trouble.  
  
The boy was awake and looking wildly around, before his panicked gaze came to rest on Yami. He looked at the sword in his hands and the frightening, piercing gaze Yami had locked on him and scooted backwards in fear.  
  
Yami's features softened and he put away the sword. He approached the shaking boy and laid a hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you, little one. I saved you from those monsters and brought you back to my tent. I won't let anything hurt you. Do you trust me?"  
  
The child was hesitant, but he finally nodded then asked, "What monsters are you talking about?"  
  
Yami started. He had not expected such a question. "The ones that gave you those cuts and knocked you out. They took you to their cave for their dinner. Don't you remember?"  
  
"No."  
  
Yami frowned. Thinking quickly he asked, "Do you know what your name is, kiddo?"  
  
The boy thought for a moment, he seemed to be having some difficulty, then he replied in a shaky voice, "N-no...I-I don't know who I am!"

to be continued...

* * *

A/N- Well, what do you wonderful people think? (Besides "go work on your other story" anyways) I hope you all liked it and I would have to say there is more where that came from...I already have seven chapters written up including this one. Well, please review and have a great summer!

Ja ne!

Mitsuko-chan


	2. Nanashi

A/N- Sorry for taking so long, minna! I've been really busy lately and haven't had any time for writing and am terribly sorry for the long wait...I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the last one and just so those of you that read my other story **Yami mata Hikari no Tenshis: **I plan on updating it as soon as possible! I'm working on it and I hope to get it done soon...keyword: hope. I will get it up though, I promise; it will just take a while so I ask once again for your patience...

Thank you all for reviewing and commenting on my story! I really appreciate the feedback!

Nightlight5: Thank you so much for your generous review! I feel loved already! Thank you for the praise!

Amber Eyes: I'm glad you think so! Thanks for the complement!

Dark mage of sea 13: Thank you so much! As for misspelling Yugi's name -- there are actually two ways to spell it: Yugi and Yuugi. When I first saw the second spelling in one of the fanfics I was reading I thought they were mistaken too, but then I noticed that lots of other stories seemed to spell it the same way as well so I decided to do some research...It's the Japanese spelling of Yugi's name; you will notice when I add the rest of Yugi's group into the story that they will be the Japanese names as well. Since you obviously didn't recognize Yugi's name in Japanese, for your benefit I'll include the names of the others here so you will not be confused of who they are. Anzu Mazaki=Tea Gardener / Jounouchi Katsuya=Joey Wheeler / Honda Hiroto=Tristan Taylor / Bakura=Ryou / Yami Bakura=Bakura / Marik=Marik / Yami Marik=Malik / Ishi(e?)zu Ishtar=Isis Ishtar / Grandpa=Sugoroku Motou / Serenity Wheeler=Shizuka / Duke Devlin=Otogi Ryuugi / Mai Valentine= Mai Kajako / Weevil=Kaga / Rex=Ryuusaki / Mako (Tsunami)= Kayiki Just so you know, not all of them are in my story, but in case you happen to run across any foreign names this might help you out!

Nicky: I love your reviews! They are always so funny and energetic that I can't help but smile even if I'm not particularly feeling in the mood at that moment! You are too cool! Thanks for everything Nicky...um...are we being mailed our schedules for school next year? How do we know what classes we are supposed to have so that if we need a schedule change we can go on the right day? I want to know when I have English class so I can see how long I can get away with not doing my summer reading...giggles!

Hazel-Beka: I DID THAT?! ACK!! So sorry Yuugi!!! (Yami chases Mitsuko with giant mallet of doom) Thanks for pointing that out to me Hazel and Beka! I'm glad that you're here to correct my grammar and keep me from making the same mistakes I've made before in the future! Thanks as always Hazel!

Subieko: Yeah, I know...it seems nobody can resist a good (fav. char) torture...Well, as long as you're a person that likes angst and stuff like that. No, Yami doesn't live there in "a big snowy cold place" (you need commas between big, snowy, and cold if you were going to put that in a story by the way...sorry, didn't mean to patronize you...) he's just there for...well, you'll find out soon...(smirk) Yeah, I know, I like picturing them with weapons too, especially after those three episodes where Yugi, Mokuba, Joey, and Mai are in that digital world to save Kaiba when his mind is stuck in his own game system...Those were some of my favorites! Yugi looked so KAWAII in his little battle outfit that I just wanted to reach into the screen and hug him to death, but I couldn't so I had to resign myself to do what I usually do: Scream like a rabid fangirl and hug the stuffing out of a Yugi plushie...Yup, Armored Lizard is a Duel Monster, glad you caught that so quickly. It wasn't originally going to be that way...just some weird creature from my imagination called a Drazil, of all things, not very creative, but I wanted to see how many would catch the pun. Anyways, but I added it and completed the plot of this story with the new addition that I put in there and it got to stay. Thanks so much Subieko!!

Selene-Yugi: Nice name...thanks for the boost of confidence in my writing of this story! I will!

Wokie: Thanks! As always! (wink) Yeah, poor Yugi, I've always wanted to do that to him ever since I read this one story; I've forgotten it, but it was good...Now Wokie, you know that if I gave Yugi a break, it wouldn't be half as interesting as it is now...don't worry all's well that ends well, right? I will give Yugi back to Kazuki Takahashi unharmed when the story is finished...but not until then!

Joyce Roach: Thanks!! Glad you like it so much! Here you go! Sorry, but I'm no good at writing romance of any kind and don't intend to. I'm not romantic in real life and therefore have no knowledge of how to put it down in writing...sorry.

* * *

NANASHI

* * *

"Alright! It's ok kid! Calm down! Look, most people that get amnesia from being hit on the head get their memories back sooner or later! There's nothing you need to worry about! I'm sure they'll come back to you soon!"  
  
Ever since the boy had told Yami that he had no idea who he was or where he came from, he began to panic. He was screaming, over and over, "I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!" and struggled against Yami as the older boy fought to restrain the hysterical youth. Yami had hoped, that by telling him he could get his memories back that the child would calm down.  
  
The trick seemed to work because the boy quieted. Yami, then, made him lie back down in the bed, while he went back to prepare food for the two of them.  
  
"Well, since you don't know who you are or where you came from, and I have no idea what to call you, do you mind if I give you a name to go by for right now, or do you have something in mind?"  
  
"No, I don't have anything. Go ahead."  
  
"Hm...How about Nanashi? It means "without name" and when you figure out who you are we'll be able to call you by your real name. How's that?"  
  
"It sounds fine to me, but I don't know who you are. You haven't told me your name yet."  
  
"My name is Yami." Yami wanted to say something other than that, but he could not think of anything else. He could not ask Nanashi questions like how he had gotten here or things pertaining to his past because the poor boy would not be able to recall the memories. He did not really feel like giving away the secret of the special place that Nanashi had stumbled upon, even though he knew the youth would find out sometime anyway, especially with Yami playing his guardian. Since he could not think of anything to talk about, Yami contented himself with making dinner in silence.  
  
Yugi on the other hand was quite unnerved by the quietness all around him. He thought of something to say. "So...uh...why are you out here all by yourself? Where is your family?"  
  
Yami paled and was glad Nanashi could not see his face. If he told the whole story then the secret he wanted to keep for a while longer would come to light much sooner than he intended. He decided to just leave out details and tell the gist of the story, or the "main point".  
  
"My dad was murdered when I was young and ever since then I have been training to become a warrior to protect the people that have need of my aid. I left my mother to pursue my training objectives and she is at home right now. My father's death was the most horrible thing that happened in my life and I would rather not say anything else."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry...Wish there was something I could do..."  
  
Yami smiled at the innocent adolescence. Something was plaguing him about this boy though...How in the world had he managed to jump between dimensions and end up here? There had to be something special about this boy, maybe he would be able to help in the war and the realm had pulled him in? Yami sighed and gave up for the moment of trying to fit together the pieces of the puzzle that was this boy, Nanashi.  
  
"That's ok, Nanashi. Don't worry about it. I'm fine; I just don't like to talk about it. Look, once we get to where I'm going, would like it if I introduced you to some of my friends?" Yami asked, hoping to cheer the boy up and take his mind off things, as he handed him a bowl of the stew he just dished out of the pot.  
  
Nanashi's face brightened and he replied, "Of course! Tell me about them!"  
  
Yami smiled and began to describe them.  
  
"Well, first off, there's Jounouchi Katsuya, he's my best friend in the entire world. We were both born in the same village and I believe he has a sister that still lives in the house that used to belong to their parents. That's were my mother is. Their parents were killed in a siege of the town, the same time as my father...Anyways, Jounouchi and his sister inherited the house, but Jounouchi left shortly after that to one of the neighboring cities to get a job and make more money to send home to his sister, who I believe works as a healer."  
  
"Then there is Honda Hiroto. He and Jounouchi were best friends before I ever met them and then when I got together with Jounouchi, he introduced me to Honda and we all just came together. We would always go down to a small lake that was in the woods behind the village. It was very beautiful there and it was where I first met Jounouchi. Honda never really talked about his family and I'm pretty sure he didn't have one at that time. I think he lived in the streets, except when he went to Jounouchi's or my house to spend the night. He seems like a rough kind of person, that is until you get to know him."  
  
"The last one is my friend Anzu Mazaki. She moved from one of the countries across from the sea and came to our village. Since there really weren't any other children our age in town, we all quickly became friends with her and decided that we would always stick together and help each other out when they needed it. That's why I'm going back there. Jounouchi sent me a letter telling me that he and the others were in trouble and needed my help. I'm on my way to Satu, the city where all three of them are working. I forget what Honda does, but Anzu works as a dancer in the city."  
  
Nanashi and Yami had been eating the entire time Yami had been describing his friends and Nanashi had not even noticed that he had finished his stew; he just kept putting the spoon into the bowl and then into his mouth even though the bowl was empty.  
  
Yami noticed this and smiled, saying, "Well, since you're done, maybe we should both get to bed, huh? We've got a days travel ahead of us tomorrow and we need to be well rested for the trip."  
  
"But there's only one bed."  
  
"Oh, don't worry. I always bring along an extra sleeping bag, you can have the bed, I'll sleep in the floor."  
  
Nanashi appeared horrified by this idea and quickly protested. "But it's your bed! I'm the one imposing on you! I should sleep on the floor!"  
  
"You are also hurt and need the soft bed to help recover. Trust me, I've lived out in the wilderness for a while now; I can sleep on the ground. Good night, Nanashi."  
  
"Good night, Yami, and thanks."  
  
Yami smiled once again, put the dinner things away, and laid his sword down beside him before slipping into his sleeping bag on the floor beside the bed occupied by Nanashi. He blew out the lonely candle that stood illuminating the room before he closed his eyes and quickly dropped off to sleep.

* * *

Morning

* * *

Yami awoke, bright and early with the sun. Nanashi it seemed was not used to getting up quite so early in the morning. Yami watched as he rested in peaceful slumber, snuggled tightly under the covers of the bed. Yami decided to let the boy sleep more since he was still trying to heal from the wounds inflicted upon him and rolled up the sleeping bag he himself had awoken in.  
  
Once that was taken care of, Yami put the leftover stew back on the fire and heated it up for their breakfast. As soon as that was finished, Yami decided it was time to wake up his charge.  
  
"Nanashi," he called gently, giving the boy a small shake.  
  
His look-a-like began to stir. He had been resting on his side and when Yami shook him, he rolled over onto his back and groaned, opening his bleary eyes.  
  
Yami became worried that something might be still hurting him.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.  
  
Nanashi looked up at him, studying the other for a moment before saying, "I'm ok, just a little sore is all. The cuts on my back and chest sting a little, but not much. I'll be fine."  
  
Yami frowned, "As soon as we help out Jounouchi, I'm taking you to see his little sister. She is a really good healer and she should be able to help you if it is still hurting you by then."  
  
Nanashi smiled, "Thanks, Yami."  
  
"Here, since your clothes were pretty much torn up. You can have these. Put them on while I go take care of some things outside.  
  
After breakfast, Yami and Nanashi quickly began packing everything away so they could leave. They had barely even started when Yami told Nanashi to take a coat of fur, go outside, and put some snow into canteens so they would have water. Yami told Nanashi to make sure he found snow that was clean and not trodden upon, so obviously Nanashi had to move away from the campsite in order to find a patch of snow, big enough to put into the canteens, that was clean.  
  
He did as he was told and when he came back everything was packed away...everything...even the tent. He had only been gone for a few minutes. There was NO WAY Yami could have put everything away so quickly by himself.  
  
He stopped dead in his tracks and stared, mouth hanging open, still holding the snow-filled canteens in his hands. Yami had his back turned to him; he was attaching something to the backpack with all the stuff in it. Yami turned around and saw Nanashi standing there, he grinned and said, "Filled them up? Great! I've packed everything away, now we can-"  
  
"How?"  
  
Yami looked puzzled, "How, what?"  
  
"How...how did you do that so fast? No way you could have done that so fast! Even if you'd been practicing it for a thousand years! How did you do that?"  
  
Yami simply grinned again, walked over to Nanashi, put a hand on his head, and ruffled his hair a little. "That's my secret, little one. I'll let you know when the time is right."  
  
Nanashi stared at him in bewilderment causing Yami to chortle and take the canteens back from him. He went to attach them to the heavy-looking backpack, but Nanashi stopped him.  
  
"I'll carry them. I may not be much help to you, but I'll at least try to do something."  
  
"Don't worry about it Nanashi, I can take care of it. It won't make that much of a difference anyways."  
  
"But I want to help! You've done so much for me already and there's nothing I can do for you!"  
  
Yami smiled, 'Man, being around this kid feels so nice. I haven't smiled this much in a long time. Since my father died...' "Ok, Nanashi, you can carry the canteens."  
  
Yami handed them over and Nanashi pulled the straps over his head so that they went across his chest from shoulder to hip. Nanashi then looked up at his new friend and smiled. Yami then put on the backpack and the two started off together for Satu.


	3. Satu

A/N- Hello, minna! Thank you all for waiting! Here's the new chapter!

Chaos Ritual: Thanks! I'll be sure to continue it! Enjoy!

Nicky: HAHAHAHAHA!! "Run for your lives little YGO ppl!" AHAHAHA!! See ya later! (Like tomorrow!) Thanks Nicky!

Subieko: Such a loyal reviewer! HEHEHE! You'll just have to find out! I'm giving you hints! (hint hint) Remember when Yami was packing? (winks)

Chapter 3- Satu

Satu, a city full and bustling with people, was unusually quiet in the midmorning.

Only a few merchants were out and about so early, readying their shops for customers they would sell to during the day to earn their living. The sun had cropped up over the horizon and was starting to cover the city with its beautiful golden glow.

If a stray merchant, taking a short break from setting up, were to look out towards the Forbidden Highlands, he would see, as if in the mist from the snow, two dark figures slowly descending upon the city as its inhabitants began to stir within their homes and prepare themselves with the happenings of the day.

Yami and Nanashi had made excellent progress through the snow towards their destination. It had been quiet most of the way. Neither boys, it seemed, felt much in the mood of talking. As they began to approach Satu though, Nanashi asked something that had been bothering him since they left.

"Yami?"

"Yes, Nanashi? Is something wrong? Do you need a break?"

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to ask you...how am I going to get home?"

"What?" Yami looked surprised. He had not expected a question such as that to be asked.

"Well, yesterday when you gave me a name, you said you did not know where I came from. Obviously that meant I don't belong here. I was just wondering how I was going to get home."

Yami did not answer right away, a thoughtful expression on his face. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I guess we have to figure out where you belong first before we can think of a way to send you back, but in order to do that, you have to remember."

Nanashi looked crestfallen. Yami tried to cheer him up.

"That just means that you and I will have more time to spend together, huh kid?"

Nanashi's face brightened as he smiled. "Yeah!"

"Look, we're almost to the city now."

Nanashi looked and gasped in amazement. "It looks so pretty like that with the sunrise and everything!"

Nanashi turned back to Yami to see him staring directly at him, smiling. "I know..."

Satu

By the time the two strangers reached the big city, people were out and about their businesses, buying, selling, and other forms of work. Nanashi looked around at all the people and shops, taking in everything he could. Yami, having been to Satu many times before, simply wandered around looking for his friends Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda.

After wandering around half the city and finding no positive results, Yami turned to Nanashi to tell him something when his eyes widened in fright. Nanashi was gone! Yami turned frantically in every direction. Oh, WHY did he not pay attention to anything other than finding his friends?! Why?! Yami sprinted back from the way he came, hoping to find his smaller companion in the crowd somewhere.

After about an hour of fruitless searching, the sun had come to rest directly over the city signaling midday. Still no sign of his small look alike. There was no doubt about it...Nanashi was lost.

"Yami?!" Nanashi called in a panicked voice. "Oh no. This is not good...I have no idea where I am...how am I going to find Yami? I knew I shouldn't have looked around so much and paid attention instead."

Nanashi looked around frantically, his ears were filled with the sounds of people talking, bartering, and trading. He could smell the scent of perfume being sold from the small street shop around the corner, and all he could see in every direction was people. He was scared, to put it mildly. He just had no clue of what he should do.

Just then he noticed a disturbance behind him. He turned to look at what was going on. Some men riding horses were moving with difficulty through the crowd, trying to reach something that Nanashi could not yet see. Several people were yelling in outrage and protest because of whatever the men on horses were chasing.

Finally, out of the thick of the crowd came a boy, he looked like he was Yami's age, he had blonde hair and honey colored eyes. He was tall and lean and had a disheveled appearance, probably from running through the cluster of people, Nanashi thought to himself.

The boy looked around frantically, having lost his pursuers for the moment, he needed a good place to conceal himself and then he spotted Nanashi standing by a street shop. The boy glanced back at the men atop the horses before rushing over to Nanashi.

Nanashi was surprised when the boy rushed at him, but relaxed a bit when the boy hailed him, "Hey, Yami! We need to get out of here! Hurry, the guards are coming! They'll recognize you and try to go after you too! We need to get out of here, FAST!"

He did not know what else to do and this boy seemed to know Yami so he figured if he stuck with him he would be all right. Nanashi replied to the boy, "Um...actually, my name isn't Yami."

This was such shocking news for the boy that he stopped running and just stared at Nanashi. "What?! If you aren't Yami then who are you? You look so much like my friend."

"Well, uh...I don't really know my name, but Yami gave me the name Nanashi."

This news seemed to startle the boy even more, "So you know Yami then?"

"Yeah, I was with him earlier, but we got separated and I got lost. I've been trying to find my way back to him, but I have no idea where I am. Can you help me?"

"Uh, yeah," they started running again, Nanashi following the new boy. "I need to find Yami anyways, along with the others. My name is Jou by the way..."

"Jou as in Jounouchi? Yami told me about you. He said he was coming here to Satu to help you about something. Are those guards what he is supposed to be helping you with?"

"Um...sorta. And yeah, I'm Jounouchi, but I prefer to be called Jou. I have a question though. Why don't you know your name?"

"I lost my memory when I was attacked by some creatures. At least I think that's when I lost my memory, that's what Yami told me. I don't remember it. All I know is that I woke up in a tent with Yami there. I couldn't remember my name so Yami gave me one. Why are those guards chasing you anyways?"

Jounouchi opened his mouth to answer, but was stopped short when a guard riding a horse cut them off from the front. Jounouchi turned to look behind them to find that two of the three guards that were following him before were still on his tail. They were trapped.

Yami sighed, he was getting nowhere. He needed to find Nanashi, then get to his friends and get them out of the city before something else happened. He knew that Jou had sounded desperate in his letter and was in really big trouble. Jou had not left him any major details so he was not quite sure what was going on. All he knew was that it was not safe for him, Nanashi, or his other friends to remain in the city.

Just then he saw something that made him start. Four men riding horses were coming his way. 'Uh oh' he thought, then looked around for a place to hide. He saw an alleyway to his right and made for it. He lurked just out of sight, where he could see without being seen. He saw what the guards were after. Two youth, a boy and a girl, seemed to materialize in front of a horde of people as they ran through them.

The guards were having trouble getting through the crowd of people and Yami knew it would be some time before they caught up to the two. But catch up they would...unless Yami intervened.

As the two rushed passed the alley where Yami was hiding, he grabbed them both by the back of their tunics and pulled them into the alley with him. Immediately they both went offensive. The boy drew a sword and the girl a bow and arrow she had had slung over her shoulder.

Yami did not bother to draw a weapon, but merely stated, "Aww, come on. You weren't seriously thinking of hurting me were you?"

The girl gasped as she recognized his voice. She lowered her weapon and whispered, "Yami?! Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Now get behind me before the guards see you." The boy let the sword fall to his side, but still at ready in case he needed to fight, but the girl put the bow and arrow back where they had come from. They waited a few seconds behind Yami as he peered cautiously around the corner of the alley and pulled back as the guards passed their hiding place.

The guards went on by and Yami turned to look at his two friends once again. Anzu had blue eyes with chin length brown hair. She stood there, in her traditional orange-red armor and beige tunic and pants. Honda on the other hand was wearing brown armor to match his brow hair and brown eyes. He also had on a beige tunic and pants underneath his armor. There was, of course someone he could not help but notice was gone.

"Where's Jou?" Yami asked as his tall, best friend appeared in his mind's eye; his blonde hair hanging down in his face unlike Honda's single spike that was well out of his visage and his eyes the color of honey. Now, not only had he lost Nanashi, they had also misplaced Jounouchi as well.

Anzu and Honda exchanged a look, before answering Yami's question. "Well, uh, we kinda split up. He went one way with three guards on his tail and we went another way with those four close behind. We don't know where he is."

"Great, just great! This is just NOT my day! All right, we're going to go looking for him. Be sure to keep your eyes open for three things. One, Jou, two, guards, and three, a little kid that looks like me."

Anzu looked surprised and Honda raised an eyebrow. "He's with me, just do it, ok? I'm not in the mood to argue with you or anyone else right now."

"Touché. Alright then, let's go!"

Just then they heard a shout coming from directly in front of them. It had drifted down through the alley from one of the main streets. The voice made Yami's blood freeze.

"NO! NO! Let me go!"

It was Nanashi.

They were trapped. There was no way out of it. They could not go back or forwards and the guards would be able to stop them before they were able to zip through the alley on their left. Two of the guards maintained their positions, one in front and the other behind, but the leader...he was circling them like a tiger ready to pounce.

"Well, well, well," the man sneered at them. "It looks like we will finally be able to gather the rest of you together and soon be rid of you once and for all," he drawled.

"I don't think so! I'm not going down without a fight!"

"You can fight all you wish, freak, but the outcome remains to be that you will be taken back to where you belong."

Nanashi had no idea what was going on and was watching the exchange with mild curiosity. He had no idea why these men were after Jounouchi or what Jou could even have done to offend them so much. To him, Jou seemed like a fairly nice person. In contrast...the guards did not.

The leader gave some sort of signal and the two other guards closed in. The one that was behind them, grabbed Nanashi by the wrist while the other went for Jounouchi.

The guard holding Nanashi began to twist his arm until it hurt and he shouted, "NO! NO! Let me go!"

Jou turned to look at him, but was too busy dealing with the leader and the other guard to be able to come to his aid. The leader drew his sword and pointed it straight at Jounouchi's chest; meanwhile the other guard leveled his spear at Jou's back.

"JOU!"

Everyone turned to look down the alley to left as a shout rang through the air. It was Yami in the lead, followed closely by Anzu and Honda. All three had their weapons drawn and ready to defend their friends as they came sprinting towards the guards.

During the moment of surprise Jou managed to dodge out of the way of the leader and guard that had their weapons pointed at him and he drew his own sword in the process. His orange armor gleamed as he stepped away from the shadows of the alley and back into the light.

While Yami, Anzu, and Honda tackled the guards that had been holding Jounouchi, Jou went over to Nanashi and the guard holding him. This guard let go of Nanashi so that he could fight with Jounouchi and took out his own sword, swinging it at Jou from atop his horse. Jou dodged and shoved Nanashi aside so he would not get hurt.

The five-some, not wanting to hurt the guards, fought until an opening came for all of them to break free appeared. It was a very short "battle" and as soon as Yami, Anzu, and Honda got around the leader, they all took off down the main street as fast as they could.

"Are you ok, Nanashi?" Yami asked, running beside the small boy.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks, Yami."

"No problem kiddo."

Jou and Yami exchanged a glance over Nanashi's head as they ran through alleys, behind shops, and down side streets to get away from the guards that could not fit through the tiny spaces that the group could on foot. They soon lost their pursuers and stopped in front of a group of street shops.

They stood, looking around to see if they lost the guards when a voice called to Nanashi. It was a girl with lavender eyes and long, golden locks. She wore a lavender robe that trailed all the way to the ground, to match her eyes. Nanashi looked over at her uncertainly, but walked over to her, trusting.

"Well, look what we have here! An Elemental!"

"What are you talking about?" Nanashi asked her, completely puzzled.

The girl smiled before saying, "It's no use kid, you can't hide your aura from me, but don't worry!" She winked, "Your secret is safe with me."

Just then, Yami noticed where his young charge was and walked over to the girl and Nanashi with his friends following him.

"AH! More Elementals! You must be his friends, correct?" The girl announced, but in a quiet manner.

Yami glared at the girl as if she had offended him greatly. "How did you know we were with him? And what do you mean more Elementals?"

"Well, there aren't many Elementals left are there? I figured that you would all stick together, which is how I guessed that you were with him."

"WHAT?! You mean Nanashi is an Elemental too?!"

The girl seemed surprised by this. "You didn't know?"

Yami shook his head. "How can you tell if he's and Elemental or not?"

The girl smiled, "I'm Mai the fortune teller, I am a telepathic and telekinetic Elemental, which allows me to read auras."

Yami nodded in understanding, but Nanashi was still completely confused.

"Yami, what's an El-"

"THERE THEY ARE! GET THEM!!"

Yami pushed Nanashi's head down and ducked so that the guard's arrow missed them by mere centimeters. Yami, Honda, and Jounouchi drew swords as Anzu took out her bow and arrows. Mai and Nanashi simply stayed out of the way the best they could since neither one of them happened to have a weapon on them. This left them all outnumbered, not that they knew it.

As it happened, all of the guards had managed to find each other and reformed. Finding the group of teens they had been hunting, they split up and wound their way from opposite sides through the crowds. Unfortunately for the group, they did not know about the guards that were approaching from behind until it was too late.

The three that had followed Nanashi and Jounouchi snuck up from behind and took possession of Nanashi and attempted to take Mai, but she seemed to be putting up an excellent fight, even without a weapon. Nanashi on the other hand, had no experience in fighting back and was easily captured. The only thing he could do was yell for help.

"YAMI!"

Yami immediately turned from his fight. Seeing his small look alike in trouble, he ran to the rescue...only to be stopped by the other guard that had come up from behind.

The guard holding Nanashi, not wanting to take any chances of losing his prisoner, took off, leaving his comrades to fight the group of now angry teens.

"YAMI!" Nanashi gave one more pitiful call before disappearing into the crowds.


	4. Captured

**Title:** ©Odd Elements

**Author:** Mitsuko-chan

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-gi-oh!, any of its characters, or themes. I will not profit from this story except receiving enjoyment of your questions, comments, and input on this story.

**Claimer:** I do, however, own this story and its plot and any Original Characters that I may use during the duration of the making process of this story.

**Chapter 4: **_Captured!

* * *

_

"Aw MAN! That guy that took Nanashi must have summoned reinforcements, Yami! Look at all of these guards! We'll never be able to fight all of them off unless we use-" Yami cut Jounouchi off during his rant as he struggled with three of the twenty or so guards that were now surrounding them.

"No."

"But we-"

"I said no, Jou. These people are innocent! They are not a real part of the war. Look how they treat us when we haven't even done anything to them yet! If we used our powers on them they'd think we were against them and they wouldn't stop hunting us until we were all gone, Jou. You have to think about the consequences. We are not using our powers on them."

Mai, upon hearing the exchange going on beside her as she fought since she had now been given a sword that came off one of the fallen soldiers, got an idea.

"Maybe I can be of some assistance. My power is telepathy and telekinesis, right? So I can put the thought into their heads to retreat and after they go I can erase it from their memories so they don't remember they were fighting us here, which will give us time to escape. What do you think about that?"

Both Yami and Jounouchi took in the scene raging around them. Yami did NOT want to use magic unless it was absolutely necessary but they were beginning to be pushed back, being outnumbered four to one. Jounouchi seemed to know what Yami was thinking because he decided to give Yami a bit of a boost.

"Yami, if we don't stop this fighting soon, we'll end up in the more populated areas and then a WHOLE LOT of innocent people will be dragged into this one way or another."

This fact convinced Yami that in this case...it was absolutely necessary for them to use magic.

"Alright, Mai."

Mai gave a sharp nod to show she had heard and began to concentrate on her magic as Jounouchi and Yami took on the guards that were plaguing her as well as the ones they had been fighting previously.

The soldiers gave a frightened gasp as Mai's aura sprang up and danced around her like a lavender flame. When they were fighting, using their Elemental magic, their aura was revealed to anyone that was paying attention to it, but when it was hidden...no one could see it, unless they were an Elemental with the special ability to read auras...Like Mai had done with Nanashi...

After a few seconds of mild concentration from Mai all the guards just suddenly stopped fighting. Yami and his crew all drew back as well, still not wanting to hurt the innocent people. Then just as they had stopped fighting, they turned on their horses (the ones that still had theirs) and rode/walked away. It took a few more moments before Mai moved again as she let her aura fall back down into hiding once again.

No one said anything as they all stared at Mai. She stared straight back, gaze never wavering. Finally, Yami asked, "So does this mean you are going to help us fight?"

Mai smiled and nodded, "Yes, actually I've been looking for you. You are really quite famous among the Elementals you know, but I couldn't find you anywhere, so I decided to wait here and pretend to be a fortune teller until I got any news on where you were hiding."

Yami grunted as a reply. Nodding he walked away, Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and Mai following.

"Why did you call me here, Jou? What is it that you needed help with so badly?"

"Well, a few things actually. The first you have witnessed first hand. The other two...well, first off, I guess, we found some new Elementals that want to help us, only problem is...they are in the same position as Nanashi now. Honda, Anzu, and I can lead you guys there to the prison. They keep all the Elementals in this one room. They were going to stick us in there, but we managed to get away."

"Tell me, Jou."

"Um...how about later, when we get out of this and things have settled down some. Tonight maybe. The last thing is to tell you that the war has been steadily progressing while you went away to train. It is a ton worse than when you left it. You have no idea. The enemy has new weapons and hundreds more soldiers."

"WHAT?! How can they do that, Jou?! Only a rare few people, a handful maybe, have Elemental potential and you know that. No way can they have hundreds!"

"I do know, Yami, but they're using the weapons and giving them to regular people and making them fight as well. This new power they have, it's almost as effective as our own. This is not something we can go on ignoring. It is time for us to attack them and beat them at their own game. We need as much help as we can get though."

"This will not be easy."

"No, and it will take a lot of strategy work, but as long as we have you, I'm not too worried. You have got to be the best Elemental anywhere. I bet that Death can't even beat Darkness."

Yami snorted, "Uh huh, well if that were to ever happen it would take far more training and experience than what I possess now. How did you know this, Jou?"

"I heard those two Elementals I told you about earlier talking about it. They said there was some kind of base of operations or something."

"Maybe we can get them to take us there, but first we have to free them. Honda, come here."

"Sup?"

"You know where they are holding Nanashi don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Lead the way."

Honda gave a nod and began leading, quickly followed by the others. Yami then asked him, "So how did you guys get away?"

Honda, Anzu, and Jounouchi only smiled at Yami and Mai, not saying a word.

* * *

"Get in there you gaki!" shouted a guard as he shoved the small, confused Nanashi into a holding room. All the walls were white and the only way in or out of the room was the door he had just come through, also white, that had a square window in the upper middle of it.

Looking around, Nanashi saw that two boys already occupied the room. Yuugi stood up and noticed one of the boys had been awakened by the guard's shout. He opened his bleary eyes and sat up, looking at Nanashi. Seeing that there was someone else in the room, the boy gently shook the other boy that was sleeping beside him.

That boy woke up almost immediately as if he had not been asleep at all and sat up, ready to fight or defend. Nanashi gasped as this boy looked at him also. They looked exactly alike! Both had white hair and chocolate brown eyes; the only difference in the two was that the one that woke up tensely had spikier hair and a tanner complexion.

All three boys just sat there staring at each other for a few minutes, Nanashi staring between the two and they looking at him before glancing back to each other.

Finally the silence was broken by Nanashi saying, "Are you two related?"

The one with the less spiky hair answered him, "Yeah, we're twins. My name is Ryou and this is Bakura. What is your name?"

Nanashi blushed at this and mumbled, "I don't really know my name. The guy that found me calls me Nanashi."

Bakura smirked, "It fits. So, oh nameless one! What power do you have?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, they only throw Elementals in here and all Elementals have a specific power. What's yours?"

"I don't know anything about that. I don't remember anything that ever happened in my life until yesterday. Yesterday and today is all I know."

Both boys frowned at him, "Hm...that explains that. How did you get here?"

* * *

Honda finally came to as stop as they came up upon a heavily guarded building with a high fence all around the premises. Soldiers patrolled all around the inside and outside of the fence and Yami was sure there were only even more inside. They walked around the fence at a distance trying to find some secret form of entry that could be used to gain unnoticed access to the fortress.

"Well, this is the place. The room is on the basement level. The stairs are guarded on each floor and there are at least three guards that patrol each hallway. We need to find some way to get down there; thank goodness it's only one floor down. I don't know how we're going to get in there, man. It was murder just trying to get out," Jounouchi announced.

"Well, for one thing they won't expect someone to try to break into prison. If we could just find a way to use that to our advantage we should be able to make it," Anzu thought.

Mai turned to look at Yami; "You know I could just mess with their minds so it's like they don't even see us. We could just-"

"No."

"Why?"

"What do you think their bosses would do to them if they found out they just let us waltz right in here and didn't even try to stop us in the least. You see, the whole reason we are even fighting on this particular side of the war is to protect people like them so that they can have a future."

Mai simply glared, miffed, but Yami was unfazed. He gazed at the wall intently, trying to find some kind of way in. Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu were getting tired of waiting and were upset about having no say in how things should go so while Yami inspected, they conversed in hushed tones and were soon joined by Mai.

Finally, they seemed to come to a conclusion. "Yami, we need a strategy and you aren't giving us much to work with here." Yami turned to look at them all, namely Anzu who seemed to be speaking for all of them. "This is what we propose. We use our powers, but only as long as nobody gets hurt? We have to survive this too you know. If we don't keep going these people won't have a future anyway."

Just then a small part of an idea came to Yami, now he just needed to add some substance to it and they would have formed a well thought out plan. He smirked at them and continued formulating his plan, turning to pace and think to himself.

The others simply looked at each other, puzzled expressions on their faces as they wondered what Yami's actions had meant. Did he even consider what they had said or had he just completely ignored them? Finally, Yami stopped pacing and turned to them smirking once more.

"Ok, guys. We'll do this your way. Here's the plan..."

* * *

"Hey, look!"

"What?"

"Smoke! Over there! OH NO! Look at those flames heading our way!"

"Come on! Get some men to go put that fire out! Hurry!"

Yami, Jounouchi, and Honda were sulking in the shadows of the wall, out of sight for now. "It appears to be working, Yami. Let's just hope Anzu and Mai can handle them by themselves."

"Don't worry. Just because they're girls doesn't mean they can't take care of themselves. Besides, that's why Mai was supposed to stay. This way Anzu won't have to do anything that might hurt them, just provide the much needed distraction. That's all we need them to do, then they head over to Mai's house. Glad she gave us the directions. Now we just wait for some of them to leave..."

Right on cue, fifteen or so heavily armed warriors ran out of the grounds into the surrounding forest. Yami turned to Honda and nodded. Now it was his turn for a bit of magic. He concentrated for a moment and his aura flared up brown before the air was suddenly filled with dust from the ground. It spread throughout the fortress and all through the grounds, hovering in the air, masking their entrance.

Jounouchi and Honda looked to Yami to see that he had an intense look of concentration on his face before a black aura surrounded him then it seemingly spread out and stretched so that it covered the entire premises so that it was hard to see. The darkness was like that of a night of the new moon and it was complete.

Jounouchi's turn now. He focused on what he had to do, bright orange jumping to life around him as he transformed himself into a wolf, sniffing a shirt Yami had brought with him and began to lead the way with his mighty sense of smell.

Thanks to the darkness, and if there were any lights that had been turned on, the dust, no one was able to see as three teenage boys slipped into the base and ran through the hallways, clearly on some sort of mission. Along one hallway they ran, down a flight of stairs, and across another hallway, Jounouchi stopping in front of a door and transformed back into his normal form, aura disappearing.

"This is it!" he told them all and stepped forward towards the door. Taking something from one of his pockets he began to pick the lock. Honda and Yami remained quiet so they would not disturb him. After working diligently for a few seconds, they all heard a click, informing them that the lock was opened.

Yami leapt forward and thrust the door open, running inside as he did so. There, in one small room, sat three boys. Two look alike albinos and also his very own twin. The latter of these got up from where he was sitting and ran to his other, eyes bright and shining with happiness.

"Yami! You made it!"

Yami smiled down at the small boy and said, "Yes, I'm here." Then turning to look at Honda and Jounouchi he asked, "Are these the two Elementals you guys found?"

"Yeah," they said together.

"Yami, what's-" Nanashi began, but Yami quickly interrupted him.

"Not right now little one. I'll tell you once we get somewhere safe. Now are you two just going to sit there all day or are you coming with us?"

The two sitting in the corner jumped up and ran after their new Elemental friends.

"Wow, you did quite some job with this place," admired Bakura.

Yami smirked into the darkness. "Thanks."

The group of boys, led by Jounouchi, made it to Mai's house with no problems. They had made it out of the fortress, and after checking to make sure the girls were not still in the forest, had all left for Mai's house as planned.

As soon as the door was opened and everybody was inside, Anzu flung herself on the small Yami and gave him a great big hug. Everyone looked on in amusement until the small boy screamed in pain.

Anzu jumped back quickly, afraid and wondering what she had done to him. He was clutching his chest and hunched over. Yami immediately rushed over and took Nanashi's shirt off, revealing bandages around his chest and back. Everyone gasped as Yami then removed them and the six long cuts were revealed.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Anzu cried.

"Don't worry about it...You didn't know," Nanashi replied.

Yami sat him down on the floor and went with Mai to get some more bandages while the others, excluding the new boys, clustered around him.

"How did that happen, Nanashi?"

"Um...well, I don't remember. That was before I lost my memory so I don't remember it. Yami might be able to tell you, maybe..." The small boy blushed from all the attention he was getting and tried to seem as uninteresting as possible.

Luckily for him, Yami and Mai came back soon, Mai holding the bandages and Yami stony faced. Yami leaned up against the wall and began to talk/introduce himself to the new boys, carefully watching Mai and Nanashi from out of the corner of his eyes.

Mai approached Nanashi with the bandages and sat down in front of him. Nanashi blushed again as he realized just how pretty Mai was. She simply smiled at him and began to clean out his wounds. He hissed in pain then bit his bottom lip to keep from making any noise. After this, Yami looked like he was about to rush over and help, but he managed to restrain himself.

It did not take long for Mai to wrap the cuts in new bandages so that she left and, with the help of Anzu, began to prepare food for them.

It was dinner time for the young heroes as they all sat around Mai's living room, getting to know each other a little better while they ate and just plain relaxing and having fun like normal teenagers do.

"So, what do you say, Nanashi? Who do you think can eat more in a shorter amount of time? Me or Honda?" Jou asked in a casual manner.

"I have a question," Mai informed them all rather suddenly.

"'eah? S'at?" Jou asked, mouth now full of food.

"Why do you keep calling him Nanashi when his name is Yuugi? Is it like some kind of nickname or something?"

"What?! His name is Yuugi? How did you know that?"

Mai simply tapped her forehead with two fingers and the others either rolled their eyes or nodded in understanding.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Mai, we didn't know. He lost his memory and I've just been calling him Nanashi ever since we found out." Yami shrugged. "But now we can call him by his proper name, right Yuugi?"

Everyone looked over at said boy, but he seemed to have gone into a daze, almost as if when he heard his name something clicked in his head. He was staring a hole through the floor, but he did not seem to even see it at all. It was almost as if he was watching a video recording playing over and over in his head. Mai flinched and closed her eyes, head bowed for a moment. None of the others took any notice of this, however, they were all intently watching Yuugi as he shuddered and raised his head up; he saw everyone looking at him and said, "Ano...sorry. What did you say?"

* * *

Yuugi's P.O.V.

* * *

"So, what do you say, Nanashi? Who do you think can eat more in a shorter amount of time? Me or Honda?" Jou asked in a casual manner.

"I have a question," Mai informed them all rather suddenly.

"Yeah? S'at?" Jou asked again, mouth now full of food.

"Why do you keep calling him Nanashi when his name is Yuugi? Is it like some kind of nickname or something?"

Yuugi...My name is Yuugi? Wait a minute that kind of sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before? Then it clicked...

Flashback

He was running.

He always had to run. They would never stop chasing him until they caught him and they always caught him. He zipped across the street right before the light turned green so that his tormenters had to wait on the oncoming traffic to stop. He kept running, his backpack, full of his school things, was bouncing heavily on his back causing him to overbalance when he turned.

Suddenly, he heard their voices behind him again. They were gaining.

Panting and out of breath, he darted into an alleyway before they could see where he went. He quickly hid behind a garbage disposal unit (a/n- ) and ducked as far out of sight as he could get.

Waiting, and trying to slow his breathing so he would not be heard, he listened for their voices, footsteps, and ragged breathing to go by so he would know when it was safe to emerge from his hiding spot.

Then he heard them.

"Where'd the little runt go?"

"Man, he pulled a fast one on us the shrimp."

"Ah, come on, let's go. He's not worth our time."

"Yeah."

He had to make a conscious effort not to let out an audible sigh of relief. He waited just a few more seconds and cautiously made his way out from behind the trash bin. Making certain that they were gone, he looked around the corner of the alley when he was suddenly grabbed from behind. His backpack fell off as he was slung around to face whoever had grabbed him.

The leader of the small gang, Ushio, smiled fiercely down at him, saying, "Hi there, little Yuugi."

The four other seniors behind him guffawed loudly as Yuugi's eyes contracted in fear at the sight of them.

"Told ya it would work, Ushio! Didn't I tell 'im?"

"Yeah, an' the little runt fell for it!"

Ushio dragged Yuugi into the alley he had just hidden himself in not but five seconds ago and, together, the five of the big boys began Yuugi's daily beating. Punches, kicks, and insults were flying in that alley, why was no one coming to help? Well, why should they? It was not their problem, let him deal with it on his own.

It was the same, day after day...no one cared about little Yuugi...and never would...

* * *

End Flashback

* * *

"Ano...sorry. What did you say?" Yuugi asked when he saw everyone was staring at him expectantly.

"Well, I was just saying we could call you Yuugi now that we knew your name. Are you ok? You zoned out for a minute there and you wouldn't answer when we called your name."

"Oh...um...yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, but I just remembered something that happened before I got here."

"Really? What did you remember?" Tea asked eagerly.

Yuugi shifted nervously, "Um...I just remembered someone calling me by my name. So, um, yeah, you can call me Yuugi."

Everyone looked at him uncertainly, but then Ryou quickly ended the uncomfortable silence by asking, "So how did you get away from the guards, Jou? We were right there, but we didn't see what happened."

To be continued...

* * *

A/N- Well, I hope you all liked the story. From now on I'll be posting my review responses down here—just so you know where to look for further notification.

Wow! I couldn't believe the amount of reviews I received for this chapter (11)!! You guys helped me break through my writer's block and write this chapter!!

**tiger witch:** I'm glad you liked Yugi's element. I hope you liked this chapter as well!

**korieana: **Yeah, I know...I just love Yugi-torture! Don't you? Yup, they'll be here soon.

**Subieko: **Yup, you were right! Yugi has powers (of course! How could he not, I ask you!) (blushes)...yeah, that's how I came up with the name. Sorry for not reviewing you lately...I'll have to catch up on that, but I really don't have that much time. I know _exactly_ what you're talking about. If I read a really well written story (like yours) it just draws you in! Like that book you just can't put down!

**Nightlight5: **(blushes) You really like it? I'm basically a new writer and I'm not very good yet, but I try to do my best. Sorry for not updating as soon as you may have wanted...(runs and hides).

**Nicky: **Hey! I'm updating this one too! I know you're surprised! Ack! Too many questions at once! You'll just have to wait and see! (smiles) Cookies!

**I Forget:** Aww...you didn't want me to end it there...? I don't blame you. I'd be pretty ticked at me if I were you, but I'm not so (runs and hides). Sorry for taking so long to update!

**Geminidragon:** (blushes) Um...pure spite I guess? Sorry, but I love cliff hangers...and the reactions they envoke...(smiles knowingly) You'll just have to wait and find out at the end what happens about Yugi returning to his world.

**dogsrule6161: **Cool name...It reminds my of one of my best friends! (she loves dogs) Um...well, you see. I don't really have a lot of time on my hands to write, but I plan on picking up the pace now that school's almost out for the semester. I'm planning on doing a LOT of writing over the Christmas break and hopefully I'll be able to. Really? I love myths too! They're so cool and mysterious!

**lilpip:** An elemental is someone that has the power of an element – they can do anything that has to do with it. Like fire...someone with the fire element could make fire, blow flamethrowers, throw a flameshield...anything like that. You'll learn more about it soon.

**Masami, Mistress of Fire: **(smiles) don't you just love Yugi-torture? He's such a sympathetic character! (laughs) I've updated! You can live again! Come forth!

**Hazel-Beka:** That's ok, I guess I can forgive you just this once, Hazel-chan. I'm just glad that you did remember it. As a matter of fact, I think that you are the only one that has reviewed every single one of my fics. Oh, I'm still working on R/R your Tai's House or whatever...forgot for the moment. Don't worry, I'll finish reviewing it sooner or later, but I _will_ do it.

NOTE: If anyone knows of two people that wouldn't mind being a beta for me, I would greatly appreciate your help!

Ja ne, Mitsuko


	5. Adventures of Elementals

**Title:** Odd Elements

**Author:** Mitsuko-chan

**Date:** January 14, 2005

**Summary:** AU An abused and abandoned Yuugi wishes for friends only to find himself in the land of the Elementals with no memory of his past...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-gi-oh!, any of its characters, or themes. I will not profit from this story except receiving enjoyment of your questions, comments, and input on this story.

**Claimer:** I do, however, own this story and its plot and any Original Characters that I may use during the duration of the story making process.

**A/N- **Sorry for being so distant, but my life always likes to get in the way. Well, I think you all have waited long enough and most of you probably aren't going to read this anyway so...on to the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Adventure's of Elementals

* * *

**

Everyone looked at him uncertainly, but then Ryou quickly ended the uncomfortable silence by asking, "So how did you get away from the guards, Jou? We were right there, but we didn't see what happened."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I did promise to tell everybody once we got back here, didn't I? Well, I guess I should start at the beginning, which is the day that Anzu, Honda, Yami, and I all turned sixteen, which was a year ago now. It was a few months after the raid on our village of Birejji, when mine and Shizuka's parents were killed along with Yami's father..."

Yami flinched, but Jounouchi just continued on as if he did not notice.

"...We had all decided, excluding Yami, to get jobs here in Satu. At first everything was fine, the others and I had managed to find jobs all at the same place, our work was going well, and nobody really had any idea about the Elementals then..."

Yuugi shifted in his seat uncomfortably, still having no idea what an Elemental was.

"...until there was an attack on the neighboring city and most of it was destroyed. It was done by Elementals on the other side, ever since then the people that were living in Satu began to panic whenever an Elemental was mentioned. They decided to send out soldiers to find Elementals and patrol around the shops to keep people safe. At this point I decided to send a letter to Yami who was currently away, who knows where, training to become stronger so that he could avenge his father's murderer. I didn't, of course, know where to find him or how to get the letter to him fast enough. I went to the forest where all the animals were and got the fastest bird I could find to take the letter for me."

"So far we had managed to stay hidden from the people, not use our powers or make anyone suspicious of us in any way. That's when we came to find Ryou and Bakura. They had just gotten to the town and were stopping by the tavern that Honda, Anzu, and I were working at. Anzu was dancing for the customers that come for entertainment, Honda was back in the kitchen, cooking, and I was at the counter taking orders. They came in and sat down at a table. I went over and asked them what they wanted to eat and they told me. Then I went back and gave the order to the cooks and when I came back where some guy was standing over them, yelling that they had taken his table that he sat at everyday."

"When it became apparent that neither Bakura nor Ryou were going to move, the guy--and he was a really big guy too--he came over and wrapped his arms around Ryou and picked him up off the ground, about to slam him down, but Ryou turned into water and slipped out of his grip. Everyone just looked at the two of them and someone called the guards. They came barging in and started tackling Ryou and Bakura. We couldn't just leave them to fend for themselves so we jumped in and tried to help."

Yami sighed at the predictable actions of his impetuous friend.

"It was a pretty long fight, but in the end they used some kind of blow dart thing to shoot us; thank goodness only their elites have the blow guns or we would all be sitting back there in that cell. Anyways, it had some kind of drug on it that knocked us out and when I came to they had brought us to that chamber."

Bakura rolled his eyes at the tall blonde for stating the obvious.

"At that time, I was the only one that had woken up. They had us all in a line, throwing us into the room one at a time. First was Bakura, he was still asleep-"

Here Bakura snorted disdainfully at the prospect of being asleep, but Jounouchi merely ignored him and continued with the story.

"and then Ryou went inside and were about to stick me in there when I transformed into a bug and became so infinitesimal that they couldn't see me. They thought I had just disappeared and gotten away so they panicked and started looking around for me. Just then, Ryou woke up and was starting to get free of his bonds and the ropes binding Anzu's arms and legs caught fire as she awoke, so it was obvious that if they didn't close the door we were all going to escape."

"They shut the door that barricaded Bakura and Ryou inside while I transformed back and freed Honda. It was total chaos, as soon as we had gotten away from the guards that were there we ran. We ran until we were out of the fortress and then we got separated in the streets, which was where I met Nan-I mean Yuugi while Anzu and Honda found Yami. Then we went back to rescue Bakura and Ryou. That's it, I guess."

Everyone was silent as Jounouchi's tale came to an end, musing about everything that had happened that day. The silence was finally broken when the small, timid voice of Yuugi spoke up, asking the question he had been trying to get out all along.

"Um...what's an Elemental?"

Everyone turned to look at him and he blushed at all the attention he was receiving. Yami's ruby eyes turned to him and Yuugi stared straight into his piercing gaze, amethyst orbs shining with curiosity.

"Well, Yuugi. An Elemental is a special person that has the magical energies to control a particular element. Like wind, water, earth, fire, and so on. There is only one of each Elemental, meaning that there can't be two Elementals of the same kind- like fire, there's only one. Each Elemental will project a certain color of aura around their body, but normally you can only see it whenever that Elemental is using their powers. Certain Elementals, like Mai and some others, have the ability to see any Elemental's ambient energy signature at any given time, which allows them to identify that Elemental's power."

"Now, as you saw when we came into the stronghold, Elementals can use their magic and remain in their human form, looking exactly the same as they do when they are not using their power. But sometimes, when we go into battle, we have a special form that we use that helps us focus our power better. We can "transform", I guess you could say, so that we have stronger armor and wings so that we can fly. This is called the Elemental Spirit form."

"Right now we are in a war against other Elementals..."

"Why?"

"Well, just like in regular people, there are people with good intentions and bad ones and I'm afraid to say, Nan-Yuugi, that some of the Elementals have the desire to control the world. They want to rule over the regular people and make them become their slaves. We, on the other hand, would rather there be peace between all people, normal or Elementals, and so we fight to protect the Norms and keep them from destroying society and obtaining what they want. This war is very dangerous and has been going on for quite some bit of time. But now, the fierceness has escalated. The Evils are gaining more power and as Jou tells me they have found a way to use Norms to fight against us, somehow, with their new weapons."

"We have to try and defeat them without hurting the Norms and unfortunately we don't have much time left. We need all the help we can get and so we are going into Birejji tomorrow to pick up Shizuka and find any other Elementals we can that will help us fight against the Evils."

Yuugi nodded carefully in understanding.

"There is something else that I haven't told you yet, Yuugi."

Yuugi looked up at Yami with rapt attention to show he was listening and Yami continued.

"Do you remember how I told you that there were some creatures that attacked you?"

Yuugi nodded slowly.

"Well, those are Duel Monsters. There are different species of them and they are all over the world here. We, the Elementals, use them to fight each other in this war. Some Duel Monster types are stronger than others and Elementals on each side try to gain control of the strongest monsters they can so they can defeat the other side."

Yuugi nodded again to show his understanding as Yami added, "The Evils are working especially hard to try to tame the Uncontrolables."

Yuugi's head jerked up to stare at Yami in confusion.

At his inquiring look, Yami explained, "The Uncontrolables are a class of Duel Monsters that cannot be controlled by a single regular Elemental. Only an Elemental with extreme power or a band of powerful Elementals that join forces can control the four Uncontrolables."

"What happens if the enemy were to gain access to the Uncontrolables' power?" Yuugi asked quietly.

"Then the peaceful, harmonious world as we knew it...would be doomed."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"We're going to fight them with everything we have and defend our home!" Anzu cried, eyes flashing in the light.

"Mai," Yami said, directing his attention to the beautiful blond. "Didn't you say that Nan-Yuugi had Elemental power?"

A curt nod answered him.

"Can you tell us what sort of power he has?"

"Certainly. By reading his aura, it shows me that he is the Elemental of Light, but there is something odd about his ambient energy."

"What do you mean "odd", Mai?"

"Well, it keeps changing. One minute it's the white of the Light Elemental and then it seems as if another color leaks in, opal it seems, it doesn't completely change so it's hard to tell, but there is _no_ Elemental with an opal aura. I don't know what it could be, but it is not Elemental power."

"Hmm..." Yami looked thoughtful for a moment, but dismissed the information to the back of his mind for later. "Well, I don't know either, but Yuugi is going to have to know how to use his powers before going into battle. Do you-"

"Maybe you should ask him first if he wants to even _be_ in the battle," Bakura told him quietly.

Yami glared at Bakura, but Bakura merely glared right back. Their staring contest was cut short when Yuugi said, "Of course I want to help! We can't let them destroy the world!"

Yami smirked and looked back at Yuugi, "Well, we have some time right now. Would you like me to teach you a little bit about accessing your magic without transforming?"

"Yeah!"

Yami nodded to his small friend and began leading him from the room, into a darkened cellar. Jounouchi called behind him, "Hey, Yami! Wait up!"

Yami stopped in the doorway as his friend came up to him.

"Don't ya think this can wait 'til later? I mean, the kid just got back after all, he's probably tired and do you even think he should be involved in this? After all, war is no place for a kid."

Yuugi had been looking upon the exchange quietly, but at these comments indignation grew as Jounouchi talked as if he was a little child that had no idea what was going on (right in front of him!), quickly injected, "Hey, I'm not a kid! I'm sixteen, probably only a couple years younger than you, I can do this if I want to!"

Yami looked at his friend grimly. "He's right, besides, we have no choice; we are seriously outnumbered and we'll be leaving tomorrow morning so there will be no other time for it. After all, it shouldn't take that long. Tapping into the Elemental power is easy as you well know."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Good luck, Yuugi," Jounouchi said pleasantly before walking back into the room with the others.

Yami turned around with Yuugi right behind him, and descended the steps into the darkened cellar.

Yuugi followed him, albeit a little more cautiously and somewhat nervous. When both teenagers reached the bottom, Yami's voice filled the darkness.

"Now, as you are a Light Elemental, I want you to light up this room so that we can see, ok? All you have to do is concentrate on what you want to do, just focus and it will happen. After a bit of practice, you will barely have to think of it at all, but starting out you want to pay attention to specifics, detail your commands for your magic."

Yuugi closed his eyes, concentrating with everything he had on making the room light up, he did not open his eyes until he heard Yami's yelp from the opposite side of the room.

His eyes sprang open and he quickly regretted it as the room was so bright it nearly blinded him; he quickly squeezed his eyes shut once more.

"Like I said," came Yami's shaky voice a moment later, "you need to pay attention to detail. Now, can you dim the lights a little?"

Yuugi did as he was instructed and the light diminished from behind his eyelids, enabling him to open his eyes once more. Yuugi quickly looked over at Yami to see if he was mad and was surprised to see a small smile on Yami's face.

"You're extremely powerful to be able to control so much on your first try, I'm impressed. Now that you know how to control it, you're going to practice against an opponent. You can do anything you want with your powers now, if you focus enough, as long as it has to do with controlling light. I want you to fight me, I'll just give you this one hint, be as creative as you can."

Yami smiled and the spar began.

In a darkened room, devoid of anything except a single chair, or more like a throne, were two men. Nothing could be seen of either of them except their silhouettes. One was seated in the throne like chair in the center of the room with the other hunched over talking to the seated one in hushed tones.

"Death, I do believe it is time to try out our new weapons don't you?"

"Of course, Chaos, and I would be most delighted if you did the honors."

"Certainly. Just let me know when and where."

"I have the perfect place. Do you remember our dear friend Darkness? I think he needs another demonstration. He will join us soon, but first we need to persuade him by taking away everything he cares about. So we will attack Birejji tonight and don't forget to leave him a surprise from us. You know what to do."

"Yes."

"Don't forget to let me know how it goes."

Chaos grinned evilly at Death, relying, "Of course."

* * *

_**(To Be Continued…)

* * *

**_

_**Review Responses:**_

tiger witch: Thanks! Well, that is true, but you know how plotlines work. Characters have to get certain information at certain times and the author has to find creative ways to hand it to them!

Nightlight5: -blushes- Thank you so much for your confidence! Here you go and for being so nice to me –gives you candy-!

GeminiCutie01: Thanks! Here ya go!

Nicky: You're the greatest as ever Nicky! I wish you the best of luck w/your John problem.

Amber Eyes23: Your Fav's?! –squeals- I'm glad you like it so much! You're the best! You just totally boosted my self confidence!

Hazel-Beka: Did I really? O.O Oops! Heh, heh. Sorry about that; that's why I need a beta. (No not a Beka, a BETA) Not just Mai's powers! I'd love to have all of those powers...saving the world some would be kinda cool too. Were you writing your stories online instead of writing them saving them and then posting?

Subieko: Actually, it's both. It's elementals against elementals, but also non-elementals against elementals, but the bad guy elementals have got some non-elementals to help them and given them a...boost...of sorts...you'll see more of that later. Kaiba's going to be in this...but he's not exactly an elemental. He has his own special powers though so don't worry about him too much. I already have someone else filling the position of ice demon...I think you'll find Kaiba's powers suit him though.


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